Witch of Blackbird Pond, The

Sample Pages

Witch of Blackbird Pond, The - Study Guide

The Study Guide

We have sold Bible based literature study guides from Progeny Press for a number of years and have been very pleased with them. Progeny Press Study Guides are used in conjunction with age appropriate novels to explore literature from a sound Biblical perspective. These study guides deal with literature as works of art and philosophy, explain and use literary terms, and deal with plot construction. They dig into why the characters act, believe, and feel as they do and examine what the Bible says in similar circumstances. Easy-to-use lessons include vocabulary exercises, comprehension and analysis, critical thinking, questions on related Biblical principles, activities, plus a complete answer key. This is a book-bound format.

The Novel

After the death of her grandfather, 16-year-old Kit leaves her rich Caribbean home to live in America with her Puritan aunt and uncle in Connecticut. Kit's Uncle Matthew is a strict man, and he expects her to work hard if she is to be part of his household. Kit is willing to work, though she is unused to manual labor and unskilled at the many tasks she is given to do. Then Kit discovers the Meadows, the great level sea of green grasses that remind her of her home in Barbados. Kit finds refuge in the Meadows and at the home of Hannah Tupper, a kindly old woman living near Blackbird Pond on the edge of the Meadows. Hannah is a Quaker, considered by many of the townspeople to be a heretic because she won't attend their church, and who some therefore suspect of being a witch.

Though she is forbidden to visit Hannah, Kit cannot stay away. She finds that she needs Hannah's comforting friendship just as much as Hannah, living alone in a tiny ramshackle house, needs her help. Hoping to keep her relationship with the old woman a secret, Kit continues to work at being a contributing part of the family and community. When an illness sweeps through the community, the townspeople blame Hannah, calling her a witch, for bringing disease and death to their town. Risking everything to save Hannah from a violent mob, Kit's relationship with the old woman is revealed, and Kit finds herself standing trial before the community on the charge of witchcraft.

For use with the book "The Witch of Blackbird Pond"

This study guide is also available in CD-ROM format.